Khalil Gibran’s collection of poetry, ‘The Prophet’, sold over 100 million copies following its publication in 1923. Evidently, Gibran’s advice on how to live a meaningful life in a materialistic world hit a nerve. If only there was a stronger sense of this message – and the man behind in it – in Nadim Sawalha’s vague biographical play, ‘Rest Upon the Wind’.
We begin in a café, where Gibran lectures a surly waiter on the importance of his work: ‘I planted passion for freedom in my people’s hearts!’ The production jolts between Gibran’s frightened childhood in Lebanon and his frustrated career in Boston, as both painter and writer.
At times, director Tanushka Marah seems to hint at a latent hypocrisy in Gibran’s work. He extols the virtues of a spiritual and selfless existence, but also craves money, ladies and cashmere coats. Yet neither director or writer commits to a consistent perspective on the poet and, while minor characters criticise him, the play’s framework remains reverential.
Indeed, the show closes with Gibran bathed in a warm spotlight as an awestruck crowd recites his work. Such contradictions place a heavy burden on principal actor Nabil Elouahabi, who seems uncertain whether Gibran is laudable or laughable.